A wing and a prayer
by TigreMalabarista
Summary: Summary: A simple scenario turns into a fight for Aidan and Tony's lives. Rated T for violence, language.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A simple scenario turns into a fight for Aidan and Tony's lives. Rated T for violence, language. thanks to Jo, Lauren and Claye for beta'ing.

---------------------------------------------

"Do we have everything in order?"

"Yes. They're supposed to board the light aircraft to search for that agent we caught in about an hour," said the leader of the Scorpios, a notorious gun-running gang. "We'll be ready to receive them. Those two have been on our tails for some time, but this time, we'll have the upper hand. It'll be nice to, well, have our way with them before we kill them slowly."

The men chuckled, realizing that it'd only be a short time before they had two of the best FBI agents off the face of the world. Little did they know that one was just a 'lucky' schoolteacher who had a supersuit courtesy of a couple of intergalactic aliens. That type of thinking is the fatalistic kind... the kind that would either make you go crazy or kill you.

-----------------------------------------------

"Tony, are you sure you really want me to fly with you?" said Aidan with a slight cough. "Why now too? I'm supposed to finally go back to work tomorrow and I'd like some sleep."

"You should've had plenty of sleep," said Tony as he drove the car. "Besides Ade, we need to find this person. It'll only be a couple of hours tops."

"Said that last time too, Tony, and it took two days and ended up with me getting injured... again. That fall off the roof wasn't comfortable, even with the suit on. Then, I go fly again and crash into the monkey bars..."

"OK, I get the picture, but, we wouldn't haveta do this if you got a holograph of his location."

"True, but Ralph said he had trouble getting vibes off stuff if it had been sitting in a room for longer than a day, and that stuff you gave me had been there for three." she said grumbling. "Still, it'd be easier if I flew with you on my back."

Tony groaned as they turned off onto the road to the municipal airport. "Don't tell me you're afraid of flying in a plane?"

"No, we'd cover more ground if we just flew courtesy of the suit instead of searching for him first," said Aidan growing tired of the argument.

"I know but I did some thinking..."

"Must've snapped your brain a bit, given some of your ideas," said Aidan with a smirk. Lately she had been fed up with a couple of scenarios Tony had that ended up with one or the other injured. Most recently, Aidan wound up with a set of bruised ribs when she crashed into a set of monkey bars after flying back from some scenario.

Despite wearing the suit, she was in enough pain that Ralph and Pam ordered her to stay at her apartment until she could breathe deeply without making a face. She refused this search at first, but as Tony said the person was important, reluctantly agreed.

Tony only gave her a dirty look. "It's like this. What if we find him and he's out cold or something? Suit or no, You've never tried to carry more than one person, and he's pretty tall and heavy. I don't want to risk you throwin' your back out or somethin' trying to carry both of us. "

"OK, so why don't I fly solo and you keep an eye on me to see if I land?"

"Ade, I know I said a couple of hours, but if you flew and it took longer, we might end up with two people to find if you got hurt or tired. Besides what if the pilot sees you flyin' around in the fancy underwear? You know how some people have reacted to the suit, and it isn't just smile nervously and run off."

"Yeah... it wasn't easy to find a reason to explain why that weightlifter fainted, especially since I couldn't say I scared him when I caught him in my arms after he fell off the roof," she said wryly.

"See, it's just easier to fly with me in a plane first until we find the person, then you change in the suit and we go rescue him."

Realizing he had a point, Aidan nodded slightly as they pulled up in a parking space and got out of the car to head to the main office. Entering, they went to the counter and Tony flipped his badge. "Tony Villacana. You have a plane reserved for both me and my colleague?"

The attendant riffled through the computer screen until she found Tony's name. "Yes, Villacana and Hinkley. The plane will be ready to depart in about half an hour. Do you have any luggage?"

"Only my purse," said Aidan, presenting one that was more like a small bag. Tony scoffed, realizing that she always had a fairly large purse, and usually one decorated with ties.

The attendant smiled. "No, Miss Hinkley, you don't have to check that in. Mr. Villacana?"

"Just this," said Tony with a small tote.

Aidan smirked, knowing he didn't really carry around anything. "Tony, what's that about?"

"Well, it's a change of clothes and a first aid kit when we find our missing person. He's bound to smell among other things," said Tony, hiding the fact his gun was in there as well in a separate storage case, which had already been checked. The young woman gave him a slightly disbelieving look to all its contents, but let it go.

The attendant smiled. "OK, everything's ready. Now, why don't you two do what you need to get ready for flight and I'll notify your pilot you're here."

The team nodded and did what they needed to before they had to head out onto the field.

-----------------------------------------

On the field, the pilot was making final preparations for takeoff. He was being watched by a member of the Scorpios just to make sure the pilot wasn't taking chances. "So, you know what you have to do?" said the agent.

"Yes, I have to drug the female agent because she doesn't drink coffee, then fly them to the hideout. Simple," said the man, producing a mask with a small aerosol can attached to it. In the can was a fast-acting anesthetic, the same stuff that had been used to catch their one hostage before he could attack. "You guys said you were going to drug the male agent's coffee beforehand, so he should be out shortly before takeoff."

"Good. Now, you don't have much time. You'd better make your final preparations for takeoff," said the agent as he left. The pilot nodded and made a couple of checks and sighed, not wanting to do this. He had to give protection money to the Scorpios in order to keep his flying business open, but since he didn't have the money this month, they let told him that this would be his payment. He had orders to bring both Tony and Aidan to the hideout or he'd have to pay interest... with his life.

He was checking the propellers when he felt a slight pain in his arm and back. Chalking it off as worry that the agents wouldn't be out cold when he took flight, he shrugged off the pain and continued working.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony found the pot of coffee in the hospitality room and poured himself a cup. Putting it to his lips, he smelled something a bit off. "Musta burned the bottom of the pot," mumbled Tony as he put the cup down, not taking a sip.

Aidan walked out of the restroom, her purse a little fuller, and coughed. Tony noticed it was a little rough. "Ade, you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah ... I think it's just the beginnings of allergy season," she said softly, and cleared her throat. "Listen, I'm going to head out there now. I take a couple of minutes to get comfortable in these types of planes..."

"Why, you need to set up a barf bag? C'mon Ade, with what you do now..."

"No, I just like to get the feel of the plane and its vibrations. After all, that can save a life," she said a bit cynically. While she hadn't told anyone else, since becoming the new suit wearer, anytime she flew in a plane Aidan had to just sit when she boarded and get used to the plane's sounds so she didn't panic about being in the air and not hear the wind blowing by her ears.

"All right, go on. I'll be there in five minutes," said Tony, not quite believing her and entered the restroom. Aidan only rolled her eyes and went to the plane.

"Hello," said Aidan as she arrived at the plane. The pilot straightened up at the voice and glanced at the young woman. "Hello, miss, may I help you?" he said, smiling but showing a slightly different emotion in his eyes.

Aidan tilted her head slightly, noticing something odd in his mannerisms, but couldn't place it. "Yes, I'm Aidan Hinkley, and I'm supposed to be aboard this plane," she said.

"Oh yes, the search for the agent," said the pilot.

"What about an agent?" said Aidan frowning, wondering what the man knew. She knew Tony said missing person to her and if it was an agent, the airport wouldn't know for security reasons.

Not quite realizing his faux pas, the pilot continued. "Don't worry ma'am, they had to clear us as far as security. Why don't you come in and get seated?"

Aidan nodded, but kept an eye on the man as she walked toward the plane door. She had walked a couple of steps when she saw someone else move out of the corner of her eye. Before she could react, the gangster wrapped one arm around her waist and clamped the other over her mouth. She struggled and kicked at the man hard, making it difficult for him to keep hold of her.

"Knock her out man," said the gangster, yelling out in pain when Aidan bit down on his hand. Before she could yell for help, the pilot moved over to the side just behind her to avoid being kicked and placed the mask over her nose and mouth. Aidan tried to jerk her face out of the mask but the gangster grabbed her jaw forcefully and kept her head still. She felt a gas be misted into her face, which she was forced to inhale when the gangster sqeezed her stomach to keep her from holding her breath. After a few moments, her struggles faded and she slumped unconscious in the second man's arms.

The pilot removed the mask from Aidan's face and nodded to the gangster. The man picked her up in a fireman's carry, her arms hanging limply behind him.

"That was risky, you know," said the pilot, realizing that he was a part of this now no matter what.

"I know, but she had a suspicion something was wrong," said the gangster, climbing into the plane and putting her in the chair. He tilted the chair back a bit so her head would loll back on the head rest to hide her true condition. "Besides, if the agent wonders why she's 'asleep,' you can say that she took a Dramamine in the plane and it kicked in too soon."

"What if he still persists or finds she's been drugged?"

"How about you just don't take any risks with the male agent and just get them there, for your health, " said the gangster as he climbed out and walked off so no one could link him to the assault.

The pilot nodded, a bit worried about the threat and climbed in the plane. He checked Aidan's vitals, finding them strong. Pinching her hard, he sighed in relief that she didn't respond, meaning she wasn't faking. "Well, one agent down, and one to go. Then I can deliver them to the Scorpios and move on with my life," said the man softly, wincing softly at another pain in his back and arm.

-----------------------------------

A few minutes after the attack, Tony left the restroom and stretched he arms out as he headed toward the plane, seeing the pilot come out of it. "Mr. Villacana? Hi, welcome aboard the plane," said the pilot warmly.

"Thank you," said Tony. "I'm sure you've been told where we need to head."

"Yes sir. We need to do a sweep of the main forest area for signs of the missing person. Your associate said that there had been several sightings. We'll arrive at the search area in about 30-35 minutes."

'Yeah,' thought the agent as he climbed in the plane. 'I never thought he'd be my boss.' He was surprised to see Aidan lying back in a slightly tilted back chair, apparently asleep. Her purse was tucked in the back of the plane along with some basic medical supplies and food the pilot had if they were hungry during the flight.

The agent looked at the pilot and he shrugged. "She decided to take a nap, said something about hating the takeoff," said the pilot.

"Yeah, you'd think she'd be used to it given how much she flies," said Tony with a chuckle, but then paused. 'Aidan never said she hated flying in an airplane, just needles ...' he thought, but dismissing it as another one of Aidan's fears, he sat down in his seat and buckled in. The pilot closed the doors and, after receiving the all clear, taxied to the runway and took off.

-----------------------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to the air travelers, it was about 20 minutes into the flight when in the forest, the gang in the hideout was busted by members of the FBI. Not too long after Tony was at the airport, they received a good tip to the Scorpios' whereabouts, making the bust quick and easy. The gangster who attacked Aidan was also caught shortly before the raid.

Watching the men get handcuffed, the FBI boss cleared his throat slightly. "All right, we got them," said the man. "Now, we need to contact all agents on the case and tell them we have our missing agent."

The group headed outside with the injured agent to an awaiting ambulance when the FBI boss was stopped by another agent. "Sir, the search plane has taken off with Agent Villacana..."

"That's fine, just have the control tower contact them and have them return," said the older man.

"There's a big problem sir... they said the plane is in flight on the radar screen, but is not responding to any calls."

The agent started to work out a possible reason and frowned further. "All right, I want to speak that one gangster we caught outside right away. I want some answers... now."

-------------------------------------------------

As the group flew, Tony from time to time watched the pilot and frowned. The man seemed to have a tendency to look at Tony nervously, expecting him to do something, but wasn't sure what. "Something wrong fella?" he asked a bit tersely, hoping the man also wasn't trying to hit on him.

"No, nothing. We should be nearing the area to search in about 10-15 minutes," said the pilot a bit nervously.

Tony just nodded and leaned back, deciding to scope out _everything_. He turned to Aidan and looked at her closely. He thought for a moment, and remembered her saying once that she never took a nap longer than 20 minutes, mostly because she just always woke up by then. Frowning and making sure the pilot wasn't watching, Tony leaned over and gently shook her shoulder. Concerned when she didn't stir, he lifted an eyelid...

"Listen guy, we need to head back to the airport now," said Tony urgently.

"Why? Did you leave something?" said the pilot, a bit hesitantly and hoping Tony'd pass out soon.

"No, Aidan here's out like a light, I can't wake her. She needs a doctor."

When the pilot didn't turn the plane around, Tony grabbed the man's shoulders. "Damn it, what's wrong with ya," he shouted.

"Nothing," said the pilot incredulously, thinking Tony had the constitution of a horse. "Didn't you drink any coffee?" he blurted out, then realized his mistake.

"Coffee? That stuff that smelled like tar?" said Tony, only to realize that the smell might've been a sedative.

"Why you son of a ..." started Tony, only to see the pilot hold a mask of some sort.

Not knowing exactly what it was but assuming it was used to drug Aidan, Tony backed off. He frowned when the pilot stood up. "What are ya doing? You've got to fly the plane." said Tony, really wishing he didn't pack his gun in his tote afterall.

"I can fly it on autopilot," said the man, slightly nervous and again, felt a pain in his arm, only sharper.

Tony noticed the man's complexion gray slightly and frown. "You OK pal?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes. Now, I'm sorry I'm going to have to do this, but I'm going to have to knock you out too," said the pilot getting the mask ready. "Just please make it easy and not struggle. My life's in danger if I don't bring the two of you to the Scorpios."

Tony took the nervousness of the man and used it to his advantage. "Listen, I'm an agent, and I can help ya out. If ya turn this plane around, you can give us the location of these Scorpios. We nab them and ya don't haveta live your life in fear."

"No. I'm sorry, but don't worry, the drug's fast-acting and there aren't any side effects..." The pilot stopped and started to turn red as he gasped for air. Tony, seeing the pilot clutch his chest and realizing something was seriously wrong, unbuckled his seatbelt and headed toward the man. "What hurts?" said Tony.

"My heart, it's crushing me," said the man, still gasping for air and staggered. In his fight to stay conscious, he accidentally dumped the plane's gas in the process. The pilot then fell to the floor board.

Tony paled. "Come on, stay with us until you can land the plane. We can get a ..." he said, only to hear the man gasp and lie still, eyes open and fixed. Checking the pilot's neck for a pulse, Tony knew that the man was dead and couldn't have been resuscitated.

Tony closed the man's eyes as he felt the plane shudder slightly. He frowned, realizing that he didn't know how to fly a plane and turning to Aidan, he realized that she wasn't wearing red under her clothes. While he guessed she might've tried morphing the suit to hide it, with Aidan out cold, she couldn't jump out in the suit and fly it to safety, unless...

"Damn it, Aidan, ya've gotta wake up," said Tony, panicking and shaking her shoulder roughly. He even resorted to slapping her once, but Aidan didn't even flinch.

Frowning, Tony jumped into the pilot's seat and, after disabling the autopilot, took hold of the controls. To his horror, he heard the engines stop running. He realized he wasn't going to be able to keep it level for long. Turning around to make sure Aidan was securely fastened, he buckled his safety belt and held the plane as straight as he could as the plane started its descent into the forest.

Tony found a fairly open spot to try to land in, and saw the trees rushing up to meet the plane. He heard a tearing sound as the plane was ripped apart just before he felt the impact and blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

After hearing the gangster confess to trying to kidnap Tony and a "female agent," the lead agent frowned and turned to another agent. "Villacana doesn't have a partner," he said. "And the guy doesn't know her name. So who's the woman?"

"I don't know, but we can find out from the check-in at the airport," said the agent.

"OK, let's find out now man," said the FBI boss. Another agent, on a phone, turned to him. "Sir, the control tower reported that the plane disappeared from radar about five minutes ago. They think it might've crashed."

"Damn. Do they have a rough location?"

"Yes sir. They're going to relay the information to us shortly so we can get the rangers involved in a search and rescue."

The third agent returned. "Sir, we found out the name of the other passenger: Aidan Hinkley."

"What? His..." started the man. He turned to pick up a phone, knowing Ralph and Pam had to know this. "Operator, get me 555-4365. It's an emergency."

-------------------------------------------------

Ralph and Pam were at home relaxing after a trip to the mall. Both knew that Aidan and Tony were on some sort of scenario, but not sure what. All they knew was Aidan wasn't happy with the prospect of going on another case so close to her returning to teaching.

Pam returned from the kitchen with two glasses of lemonade and sat down. "Here you go, the Hinkley special: raspberry lemonade with a scoop of lemon sherbet," she said, only to pause when Ralph rubbed the back of his neck.

Ralph took the glass of lemonade from Pam and smiled wanly. "Thanks Pam," he started, only to repeat the mannerism she saw just a moment ago and then rubbed his arms as though cold.

Pam frowned, realizing that particular mannerism, especially since the A/C wasn't on. He had done it only one other time, the night when... "Hun, what is it?" she asked.

Ralph blinked a couple of times and shrugged. "Don't know Pam. It's like I know something's wrong, but don't know what."

Hearing the thunder roll in the background, Pam smiled thinking of another scenario. "More than likely, it's that storm that's been brewing outside," she said.

Ralph shook his head. "No... it's more like someone's hurt. Feel almost as though I'm getting a holograph, but I know that isn't it because I don't wear the suit anymore."

Pam shook her head slightly, realizing that he also always seemed to be getting sympathy "vibes" now, as the phone rang. "Hello, Hinkley residence," said Pam. "Cyler, what a pleasant surprise..."

Ralph sat up straighter and listened in. He hadn't heard from the man in a few years, not since his graduation. Cyler and Rhonda were the top of their special ed class and Ralph always thought they'd do well. He was right, too...

Ralph's thoughts were snapped when he saw Pam pale slightly and sway. "Pam? Come on sit down, what is it?" he asked, only to be silently handed the phone. "Cyler, hey this is Mr. H. What's wrong?"

Cyler's voice was a bit grave, but tried to remain professional as lead FBI agent. "It's like this Mr. H... and I can't believe I'm telling you this, but you gotta know. We've been working a case on a missing FBI agent who we found had been kidnapped. Tony... sorry Agent Villacana was going on a search plane for the man's location, but a couple of other agents got a tip about the hideout earlier and we busted it."

"OK, that's good to know, but what's that got to do with us?" said Ralph, starting to think about his feeling earlier.

"Villacana's plane wouldn't respond to radio contact, and according to the one member we interrogated, the pilot was to knock Villacana out and bring him to the hideout. Just a few minutes ago, the plane dropped from the screens and we believe it crashed."

Cyler cleared his throat, knowing this would be the hardest for Ralph to hear. "Mr. H... Aidan was also listed as a passenger, and they confirmed that she was on the plane."

Ralph paled and sat down hard as well. 'Not again, not like this...' he thought to his horror. He cleared his throat, fearing the worst. "Have you found..." he said quietly.

"No, but there haven't been reports of an explosion everywhere, so we don't think it exploded. We're about to start a search and rescue," When he didn't hear Ralph respond, Cyler softened his tone further, like Ralph did years ago when Cyler would get upset at times at the school. "Mr. H, I said search and _rescue_, not search and _recover_. You've gotta believe they're alive, I do. If you'd like, I'll have one of my men come by and pick you and Mrs. H up to go to our main base. We've already called Rhonda and another agent's bringing her here."

"Yes, I'd like that. Thanks Cyler," said Ralph flatly. He hung up the phone and buried his face in his hands. "Oh my..."

"Ralph, they'll be fine. Aidan's got the suit and she can fly them to safety," said Pam, but worried herself.

Ralph shook his head. "Pam, what if she wasn't wearing it and...?"

Pam put an arm around Ralph's shoulder, knowing what he was thinking. "We'll find out, but right now, the best thing to do is head over there... and pray all the way," she said softly.


	4. Chapter 4

It seemed like an eternity trying to wake up, but Tony slowly opened his eyes and found that the plane had finally stopped on the ground and that he was sore. He tried his arms and legs, and to his dismay felt his left knee and ankle protest at the movement. He put a hand to his forehead, and found that he had a bruise, but finding it had been crudely bandaged with a patch of cloth and apparently his tie, had to also have a cut.

Shaking his head, he unbuckled his belt and turned around to see how Aidan was doing. To his surprise, he saw the plane had been ripped in half and the tail was gone - the tear was about a foot behind Aidan's seat. The pilot's body, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Aidan was sitting in the chair he last remembered her in, watching Tony's self-assessment of his condition and the situation. "Well, welcome back Sleeping Beauty," she said a little cynically. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore, but it's more from the rough landing and bump on the head," said Tony, taking a close look at Aidan. "How about you? Anything hurt or broken?"

"Just my pride," said Aidan simply and coughed.

"Ade, for once in your life, please be serious," said Tony. "We just were in a plane crash and..."

"I _am_. Woke up about an hour ago finding we had 'landed' and you unconscious with your head bleeding. I bandaged your wound and been keeping an eye on you since," she said, rolling her neck to work out some of the kinks in it. Seeing Tony still a little skeptical, she continued. "Honestly, I'm just sore more from being jostled in the landing. Guess in some ironic way, the pilot gassing me was a good thing. I think it helped keep me from being seriously injured. It's ironic, but it's sorta like drunken driver's syndrome, where the driver's so inebriated that his limbs are like rubber if the car crashes, so he rarely gets hurt."

"Maybe, but still, it's better to see you up and at 'em instead of out like a light," said Tony with a smile, for once glad that she was rambling.

"Yeah, it was scary. Last thing I remember was hearing 'knock her out man' and the gas being spritzed in my face. That stuff they gave me was quick-acting, blacked out in seconds," she said, standing up. "What happened while I was out... well other than the obvious?"

Tony coughed and stood up as well, albeit a little slower. "We took off, and after a while, I checked on ya since you hadn't woken up from your 'nap.' Finding ya were drugged, I told the pilot to turn us around, but he said that this gang called the Scorpios ordered him to take us to their hideout. He was about to gas me too when he had a heart attack. Don't know why the plane went down, but the rest is pretty obvious."

Aidan frowned, realizing the pilot wasn't there. "What about..."

"Dead. He was dead before the crash," said Tony as he tested the radio. "And, so's the radio, but it might've been anyway in case something went wrong with the kidnappin'. Now, since we're in this mess, why don't ya change the fancy underwear back to its normal form and we can fly outta here."

"Well..."

"C'mon, I know ya were gassed, but Mr. H said sometimes your head wasn't protected and..." Seeing the young woman turn away, Tony knew something was wrong. "Please tell me you have it on."

"No, because you told me I had to fly with you in the plane. Besides, if I did, I think the suit would've protected me from being incapacitated," said Aidan cynically, but wondered how true it was as Ralph never mentioned it to her. "Now, I brought it with me, but it was in my purse. Now, question is, did they put it on the plane as well when they lugged me into it?"

"Yeah it was... but in the back of the plane, which as we know, is somewhere out in the forest," said Tony.

"OK, so we'd better get a move on and find it," said Aidan bluntly as she saw the sun starting to head toward the west. "Looks like we don't have much time before nightfall, about two-three hours of sunlight tops. First off, we'd better see if there's anything we can use here."

Doing a rummage of the half of the plane, they were thankful to find a box of matches and a canteen of water the pilot had. While they felt a little bit squeamish of drinking after the deceased, they realized that it was do it or risk dehydration if they didn't find any water.

After Tony got a walking stick - just to use as a snake sniffer-outer, he joked - the two started on their quest to find the suit and a way out of the forest. They knew time was of the essence, especially as it got very cold during the night now.

--------------------------------------

The trip to the main search base was relatively quiet for Ralph and Pam. Realizing it had been about two hours since the plane went off the radar, their concern only grew. As the agent drove, Ralph continued to stare out the window, as though he wanted to get a holograph. Most of the time he didn't miss wearing the funny looking suit, but when anyone he knew or loved was hurt, he wanted to put it on in a split second.

As the trees passed by, Ralph had another flashback to that night 18 years prior, the night that changed his, Pam's and especially Aidan's lives forever...

--------------------------------------

_"Mr. Hinkley?"_

_"Yes sir, what can I do for you?"_ said Ralph a little uneasily when he saw the officer in the doorway. Many thoughts passed through his head, most of them something that Alicia might do to try to get more alimony out of him. What he found out, however, was this _wasn't _the case.

_"I'm Sergeant Chet Yettium of the Los Angeles Police Department. There has been a traffic accident involving your sister and her husband. Both died at the scene, I'm sorry."_

Ralph blanched, nearly passing out, and the officer helped steady him. Once Ralph recovered, he cleared his throat and asked the officer what happened. Yettium told him that they weren't sure yet, but that Ralph would need to come to the morgue to identify their remains.

He told the officer that he'd come but had to tell Pam what happened. Just at that moment, Aidan entered the room, asking for help with a picture she was drawing. She saw Ralph crying and the officer, wondering what happened. Ralph, getting permission to tell her instead, told Aidan that her parents "were in heaven now."

Aidan didn't cry or react the way Ralph expected, just bowing her head briefly. He turned to the officer to thank him for his help when she fainted, hitting her head on the desk before Ralph could grab her...

--------------------------------------

Ralph jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Ralph, you all right?" said Pam, concerned as she kept hold of his shoulder.

The man dismissed her comments with a nod and went back to looking out the window.

Pam pursed her lips, realizing he was hiding something. "You're reliving that night again, aren't you?" she said softly, having thought about it too. While the night affected all of them, she didn't see everything that happened in the living room. She was in the kitchen getting supper ready when she heard a loud noise and Ralph's panicked voice trying to get Aidan to talk to him.

Ralph looked into Pam's grey eyes and realized he couldn't hide his worry from her. "Yeah... yeah, honey I am. That night was one of the worst in my life. M'Lynn and Austin died so quick in that crash, and the wreck itself..."

"I know Ralph, given your reaction after you saw them in the morgue," said Pam softly. "But, we were baby-sitting Aidan, and she was all right."

"Yeah, all right. Aidan fainted and hit her head before I could catch her," he scoffed. "She was lying unconscious for so long in the hospital that I worried we were going to lose all of them that night... In a way, we did. Ade still only remembers parts of that night, and even those parts not too well. And now she's been in a plane crash herself and..."

Pam gripped his shoulder strongly. "Ralph, you heard what Cyler said. It's a search and rescue. You know as well as I do that, God willing, between the two of them, they'll come home safe and sound. Bit bruised and hurt maybe, but alive."

Ralph smiled softly, hoping she was right. Unless they heard a report that someone found Aidan and Tony dead, they had to keep hope alive. The rest of the trip was driven in silence, both silently praying for their goddaughter's and friend's safety.

----------------------------------------

"Come on Tony, we need to get to find the rest of the plane and get the suit," said Aidan, waiting again for Tony to catch up. She wondered if Tony had been injured other than the head wound, but he kept dismissing it as being winded from being jerked around in the crash.

"I'm coming Ade, just found something that might be useful," said Tony, picking up a flashlight. So far, they had found several items that he knew had been in the plane when they took off. Unfortunately, none was Aidan's purse. Tony did take some comfort that when they did finally find it, the bag would be easy to spot.

"Flashlight? Well, it's better than the broken sunglasses you found. Does it work?"

"Yeah, and it's one of those, uh bright ones. Says 'Maglite.'"

Aidan smiled. "Maglite, good. We just have to be careful not to waste the power," she said before tripping over something and falling down. Getting up and turning, Aidan gagged slightly when she realized she tripped over an arm and further down in the brush...

She turned away and, dropping back to her hands and knees, began to retch. Tony rushed over to her side as fast as he could to help try to soothe Aidan, and took a look himself. The body was the pilot's, and had been badly mutilated through the fall - among other things. 'Something got a quick meal,' he thought, grimacing. 'No wonder Aidan's throwin' up."

Once Aidan got through her dry heaves, Tony helped her sit and clean up. Tony frowned when she had a noticible rattle when she coughed. "Ade, are you all right? And no 'just fine' comments. I'm startin' to worry about'cha," he said, offering her the canteen.

"Tony, it's a cough... from allergies, and as we all know we're in the middle of a forest," she said, taking a sip of water to rinse her mouth out. When she spat it out, she continued. "Also, I just threw up, so that might be why. I guess if it's any consolation, we at least know we're on the right track to finding the back part of the plane."

"Yeah, c'mon, let's get outta here, and don't look at the guy," said Tony as he helped her up as best he could, and winced slightly.

Aidan handed him his walking stick. "Here's your 'snake sniffer-outer.' Sure it's not to let you nurse an injury," she asked with quizzically.

"A little. I thought I had sprained my ankle in the crash, but I guess I was wrong. Feels great now," lied Tony. In actuality, his knee and ankle hurt like hell. The two just looked at each other and started on their way forward again, hoping that the suit would be at the end of the journey.


	5. Chapter 5

Ralph and Pam arrived at the main station and got out of the car. The agent escorted them to Cyler and Rhonda. "Mr. and Mrs. H, it's good to see you," said Rhonda, unenthusiastically.

Pam gave Rhonda a hug. "Don't worry, they'll find them," said Pam gently. "You know Aidan and Tony, both are quite resourceful and they'll think of something."

Rhonda nodded and went to get a cup of coffee. Cyler turned to the couple and frowned. "She's been a mess since she arrived," he said softly. "Good thing you two came along too."

"What exactly happened?" asked Ralph, though he knew that Aidan and Tony had been working together on the case.

"According to the head of the gang, they kidnapped our guy to get Villacana. They knew about his setting up the search plane and blackmailed the pilot. We found out he owed them some protection money, and when he didn't have it this month, this was in lieu of it."

Cyler took a sip of coffee and continued. "The pilot was given some sort of mask with a can of anesthetic gas to knock out Aidan, who they assumed was a female agent. They were going to give a mick to Tony beforehand in some coffee as he's stronger. Then, when they were out on the plane, the pilot was to take them there."

"But they didn't, obviously," said Pam simply. "OK, so any more information yet?"

"No. Only thing new is you two and Rhonda are here," said Cyler.

"And, we're willing to help out anyway we can," said Ralph firmly, but rubbed his arms again as if cold.

Pam frowned slightly, knowing he was still worried that history was repeating itself. "Honey, right now I think the best thing we can do is give a description of Aidan as well in case they're separated."

Ralph nodded and gave a more detailed description and photo of Aidan, as Cyler hadn't seen her in about eight years and the rest hadn't at all. When Ralph finished, Cyler headed over to a group of rescuers and gave them her description as well.

After the searchers left, Cyler went over to the break area and added some more coffee to his cup. He took a sip and frowned. There was something Ralph and Pam were hiding, but he didn't know what. All he knew was that it might help bring some light to the situation.

He took a deep breath and went over to the two. "Mr. and Mrs. H, I need to talk to both of ya... alone."

Ralph and Pam looked at him a little confused, but nodded. They went to a quiet area and, making sure that no one else was listening in, Cyler decided to ask the question. "All right, Mr. H what's going on? Why was Aidan there in the first place and why was she called an agent?" he asked.

"Don't know," said Ralph, trying to hide the truth. "She said she was going on a trip, just didn't know it was one like this."

"Yeah, maybe they saw her with Tony and just assumed," said Pam as well.

Cyler shook his head. "No, I don't think so. They thought she was an agent when they set it up, so it wasn't a one time thing. Since he's worked under my leadership, Tony's pretty much followed the rules."

"Mostly because you beat him in his exams," said Ralph. He was right too, given that Cyler almost always beat Tony in tests during his high school days.

"Maybe, but we're not at school anymore, and this is something I know he wouldn't do, bringing in a civilian, as it'd get his butt fried... then fired," said Cyler chuckling briefly. "Listen Mr. H, Aidan's not going to get in trouble, and if you're worried, I won't punish Villacana either and will claim she was an informant helping out, but I need to know: Why was she there?"

He saw the two look at each other, as though arguing about revealing their secret. Ralph won out. "Cyler, you're not going to believe me, but what I'm about to say is true," he said quickly. "Will you at least promise me that you won't tell Rhonda. She really doesn't need to know any of this, for her's and Tony's sake."

Taking a moment to consider the request, Cyler nodded. "All right, Mr. H, I'll keep my word. What's going on?"

Ralph took a breath and began to tell him a story about a trip to the desert, a spaceship and a special suit with unearthly powers he wore, which was passed down 25 years later to Aidan...

-----------------------------------------------

After an hour walk, full of gripes and arguing, Aidan and Tony found the second half of the plane. Aidan gave out a slight whoop and entered the plane, searching for her tie decorated bag.

When Tony didn't hear anything, he began to panic. "Ade, are you OK? Did you find it?," he asked, and not hearing an answer, walked in the torn up opening.

Aidan had taken off her pants and was starting to put on the tights and boot spats of the suit. She looked up. "TONY VILLACANA Get your butt out of here now!" she shouted, embarrassed.

Tony turned around, blushing. "Sorry Ade," he said embarrassed, but then quickly turned serious. "You need to respond next time if I ask if you're OK or somethin'. Ya gotta remember we're in a survival situation..."

Aidan took off her shirt and put the tunic and belt on, giving a slight scowl. "I know that, but you _could_ knock before entering, even if it's a torn-up plane," she said, growling slightly as she put on the cape. "Give me a minute to gather my street clothes and we'll get the hell outta 'Dodge.' My guess searchers are already out to find us, and if they find the pilot..."

"I get the picture Aidan. They see him, they'll think we've all been dinner for the animals," said Tony, walking out. He started gathering for food and other supplies that they could use before they flew when he heard a growl from a short - at least it sounded short - distance. Looking up, he saw a bear walking toward them. "Uh, Aidan..." he said quietly.

Aidan got out of the plane and sighed, thinking Tony needed her to pick the rest of the plane up to get some item. "What do you need," she said, only to see the bear too. "Oh no. Tony, just back away slowly and don't panic."

Tony listened to her, only to see the bear walk toward them. He quickly backed away and fell, only to see a flash of red get in between the two. He sat up and saw Aidan crouching down slightly, trying to talk to the bear. "What are you doin'?! You ain't Grizzly Adams," he said scared, trying to avoid it charging them.

"Can't hurt, he's scared too I bet," said Aidan calmly as she kept an eye on the bear. "Come on, please leave, we won't hurt you..." When she looked in the bear's eyes, however, she didn't see fear... she saw the look that read he had killed a human before.

The bear roared and charged toward her. Tony scrambled away a good distance as it collided with Aidan and knocked her roughly to the side. She pushed the bear off and stood up, finding that she was slower and apparently a little weaker even in the suit. "Hell, the gas must've affected me more than I thought," she said as the bear stood up on its hind legs, towering over her.

Aidan tried to make the bear leave again, only to see a paw swing toward her. She moved her arms up to her face just as the bear struck her head.

"Aidan!" shouted Tony, seeing her fall and the bear continue its attack. "Damn, fancy underwear or no, that bear's gonna kill her at this rate." He ran back in the plane, hoping his bag was there as well. He started throwing items around...

Aidan however, was still fighting the bear. After she hit the ground, she curled up in the fetal position, getting a better grip over her head. The bear swung a paw into her back, rebruising her ribs and causing her to roll along the ground. Panicking, she swung the cape over her head, hoping it'd give her a little more protection, and yelled out in surprise to not feel dizzy when the bear hit her in the head again.

Confused that his prey was still yelling, the bear paused for a moment before he decided to try biting into Aidan's leg and dragging her. Aidan felt the pressure of the bear's jaw as she was dragged, but no pain of the teeth puncturing flesh or bones being pulled from sockets. The bear then stopped pulling her, dropping her leg and hit Aidan along the back again. She yelled out in pain, gasping for breath afterward.

Realizing the bear wasn't going to give up as it hit her again, Aidan moved one of her hands from her head and swung up as hard as she could. Her hand connected with the bear and it yelped in pain, backing off. Aidan scrambled up and stared at the bear again. She could see the bear stare at her, but this time with a slight fear in it.

"Please ... leave," she said, but again the bear stood up. Aidan got ready when she heard a shot rang out. Aidan paused and saw the bear freeze in place. It dropped to all fours and hearing another shot, ran off into the forest in a panic.

Confused that the fight was over, Aidan kneeled down, tired. She turned her head at Tony and saw he was holding his revolver. "Ade, how are you feeling?" he asked, walking over to her right side. He looked around the area just in case the bear stopped running away and decided to return.

"As well as I can being a bear's plaything. Please tell me you didn't shoot the bear, or he'll come back and won't stop 'til both of us are dead," she said faintly and winced as she put her hand to her head opposite where Tony was, checking to make sure it was still there. She removed it and found it was red.

Tony continued, not seeing Aidan's hand. "No, shot over his head. He was using you as a toy Ade, another minute and... Ade?" he frowned when Aidan's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed, falling sideways to the ground, injured side down.

The agent slowly kneeled next to her limp form, frowning when he saw her the blood on her hand. "Come on, I know ya ain't the type to faint from seeing blood," said Tony, remembering she bandaged his head after he was injured several times, including this one. When she didn't respond to his shaking her shoulder, however, Tony realized it was worse than a faint.

Turning her onto her back and checking her for injuries, he saw that she had a couple of gashes on her head from where the bear hit it instead of her arms. "Damn, must've still broadsided you with its paw where you couldn't protect it," he said, and checked her vitals. Finding they were fairly strong considering what she just went through, Tony stood and went to get the first-aid kit he found.

After bandaging her head and wounds, Tony heard a loud peal of thunder. Seeing the sky darken, he looked back at the remains of the back half of the plane, and realized there wasn't enough space for both of them. He frowned, as it was getting too cold for them to be outside with no protection. There also was the threat of the bear returning. The front half of the plane was in a safer area and provided better protection, he surmised.

Realizing that he was going to have to move her, Tony searched for something that could be used as a stretcher to drag her back, reducing the stress on his knee. When he found nothing useful, he grimaced, knowing what he'd have to do would be painful for him.

He gathered the first-aid kit and other supplies he found, putting them in Aidan's purse. Putting the bag over his shoulder, Tony turned to look at the unconscious woman and sighed. "OK, Ade, I'm going to haveta carry ya. It'll hurt a little bit, but it's either this or we risk freezin' to death."

With that, he gently grabbed her wrists and pulled, sitting Aidan up and then continued to pick her up into a fireman's carry. She moaned slightly when her gut hit his shoulder, but didn't respond otherwise. Tony, however, yelled out when his knee and ankle protested at the extra weight. Trying to ignore the pain, Tony started walking the two back to the front half of the plane as it began to pour down buckets. Realizing how serious this scenario had become, he started praying that someone was trying to find them. He realized that his and Aidan's lives now depended on it more than ever.


	6. Chapter 6

As Ralph talked about the suit, Pam kept an eye on Cyler, trying to figure out how Cyler was going to react to the story, but got her answer shortly. ...

"So, Mr. H, would the suit protect Aidan if she was gassed? And, could she, well, fly the plane to safety?"

"I don't know Cyler. I dealt with tear gas when I wore the suit with no problems, but no one ever tried to use knock out gas. Probably afraid it'd made me stronger. But, I know from experience it doesn't always protect the wearer's head, so there is that risk." Ralph replied. "She does know how to fly, both suit and plane though..."

"So, that must mean she didn't have the suit on at all, or even if she did was unconscious at the time the plane went down," said Cyler, frowning. "And, I'm guessin' Tony was in the same situation as well. I'll make sure that we have LifeFlite on standby just in case we need it."

Pam blinked a couple of times, still in disbelief. "Uh, you actually believe us?" she said. "I mean, Ralph has gotten into trouble a few times because of the suit."

Cyler pursed his lips. "Mrs. H, all my life I've had to learn to trust people. And I know Mr. H here won't like it, but I can tell when he lies, and he isn't."

"So that's how you knew Pam and I were keeping the suit a secret," said Ralph, having wondered how Cyler caught on.

"Yeah, since so many teachers gave up on those of us in special ed, I just picked up on how to know if the teacher was lying or not. Now, why don't you guys head back over to Rhonda and when we find out something, we'll getcha."

Ralph and Pam nodded, and went back to the group. Now, all they had to do was wait, and hopefully the news they'd receive would be good.

-----------------------------------

Arriving back at the main part of the plane was slow but relatively smooth. Once he was inside the remains of the plane, Tony laid Aidan on the ground and checked her vitals again.

Relieved to see they were still strong, Tony tried to see if she'd wake up. He smiled when she stirred and moaned only to frown when he saw her eyes roll back into her head. "At least you're fighting to wake up," he said quietly. Tony also still heard the rattling in her lungs and found she was starting to get cool to the touch. He rolled her onto her side to help make her breathing easier.

Feeling the temperature start to plummet again, Tony took off the suit's cape from her shoulders and covered her with it. "OK, Ade, I don't know what all's wrong with ya, but first thing we've gotta do now is see if we can stay warm so none of us gets frozen like popsicles," he said, trying to keep both of them calm. He then assessed the situation as far as fire. He knew there probably was some dry tinder under the plane, but the lightning was becoming more and more dangerous for him to attempt to go outside. The last thing either needed was him to get hit by lightning or a falling tree branch.

Tony rummaged through Aidan's purse and found many things in addition to the supplies he put in it, but other than her jeans, nothing else that would keep them warm. He also found her jacket in the cockpit, which she had removed prior to their hike.

Realizing that the jacket wasn't going to help her out much more for the time being, Tony resorted to plan B. "Survival sometimes means feeling silly," he said, laying down next to her in a reclining position with his head resting against the cushion of a seat. He turned and pulled Aidan up to where she was sitting in his lap, her head lolling against his chest. He re-covered her with the cape and wrapped his arms around her, sharing body heat. He let out a breath when he felt her breathing seem to ease even more.

As far as himself, his knee was practically screaming every epithet it knew and his ankle was responding in kind. On top of those injuries, he received a cut to his leg during his rummage through the plane during the bear attack. It wasn't serious though, and he was glad the bear hadn't returned for an encore attack. "Haveta admit, Ade, I'm glad ya hit the bear to scare it, otherwise we'd be easy pickin's for it if it had come back," he said softly, not surprised she when didn't answer back.

As he held Aidan, Tony began to think about what was going on in the rest of the world. Was Cyler and the FBI looking for them? How long would it take for the rescuers to find them, and would they make it in time? Had they told Rhonda that he was missing in action... or worse, dead?

Looking at Aidan's quiet form, Tony started to worry further. In addition to what he already knew, Aidan was showing signs of really being sick, not allergies as she assumed. He knew Ralph and Pam had nearly lost Aidan before when she was shot the day she got the suit. With Bill being as close to the two, he knew for sure that they already knew about the crash. And, knowing that she lost her birth parents in a car crash...

He held Aidan closer to see if he could warm her up faster. "C'mon Ade, ya've gotta wake up," he insisted quietly. All he heard was the sound of rain as it continued to fall down and her slightly ragged breathing.

----------------------------------------

"Sir, we've narrowed the grid as to where Miss Hinkley and Agent Villacana are," shouted one agent, waking Ralph and Pam from their thoughts.

Cyler rushed over to the agent and smiled. "That's great," he said as the others walked over to him.

"We'll find Tony and Aidan soon," said Rhonda, excited to hear some good news about the two.

"Do they know exactly where?" said Ralph.

"No, but according to the control tower, we've been searching a couple of miles in the wrong direction," said the agent.

"Great, that means they still could be anywhere," sighed Ralph, regaining the same nagging feeling.

Looking over the man's shoulder, Pam smiled softly. "Maybe not. Listen, there's a way we can narrow it down furthe," she said.

"Well, whatever we use depends on... well how they are and what we use," said the agent.

"What about something that would detect body heat?" said the judge, remembering an arson case she presided over recently. "The fire department use machines that detect body heat now, even in fires, so if there's one available, we should try it."

"We've never tried it..." the agent said, dismissing Pam's idea too easily.

When the agent looked at Cyler, the lead agent was not happy with what he said the Pam. "Well, we're going to try it, mister. You're right, Mrs. H, we do. We have one or two nearby and someone will make calls to the fire stations to see if they have another one. Right now, we'll gather the first search group up and send them out with the equipment."

"I'm going with them," said Ralph, with Pam standing beside him as well.

Cyler opened his mouth to protest, but remembering what Ralph said about the suit, realized he might know something about how it works and could help them find the two sooner. "All right, you're going as well. If you find them, you need to remember to let the paramedics check them out. They're bound to be hurt from the crash and if you help them beyond covering them with blankets, you could hurt them worse."

Ralph and Pam nodded grimly, and after receiving search gear as well, set off with the search group with the equipment. They also prayed that what they did eventually find wasn't their worst fears.


	7. Chapter 7

It was around 11 p.m. when Aidan finally recovered consciousness. She kept her eyes closed but realized she was lying flat on her stomach in the recovery position, having been put in the position when Tony needed to go outside. She was covered with the cape and some other covering. Her ribs were protesting each breath she took it seemed and her head felt like sharp knives were slicing the skin on the left side, not to mention stabbing her in the skull.

Confused, Aidan tried to remember what happened. She remembered walking with Tony and finding the suit. She put it on when she heard Tony quietly asking her for help. Walking outside, she saw the bear and Tony to back away. When she realized the bear was going to attack the agent, she intervened and...

Aidan opened her eyes and gasped. "TONY!" she shouted, trying to get up. She succeeded in only feeling the world spin and falling flat on her face.

Tony was outside, tending the fire he had finally been able to start from some of the padding of the chairs and dry tinder under the cockpit. Hearing the woman yell, he rushed back inside the cockpit and sat next to her prone form. "Ade, you with me?" said Tony, shaking her shoulder gently. She had done this earlier in the night, but quickly passed out again before he could help her stay awake.

When she mumbled something into her arms as she stayed faced down, he smiled in relief but had to jibe her. "Aidan, 'grumblegus bearcat to the moon' isn't an answer. C'mon, turn over and open your eyes again."

She complied and saw Tony's face come into focus, but then blur again. "Hey Tony, I'm here... wherever here is..."

Tony frowned slightly, hoping she didn't have amnesia from the blow she took. "What do you remember? And try from the beginning," he said.

"Well, Mom and Dad conceived me, and I was born..." she started, only to see Tony's eyes widen slightly in worry. She chuckled softly, wincing at the pain in her head, and he rolled his eyes. "All right, short version: Airport ... gassed by bad guys, crash, first aid for Tony... uh... hike to plane with nasty surprise, find suit, bear attack and ... well, here I am."

Tony smiled. "Ten for 10, as Mr. H'd say."

"Not quite Tony, but OK. Can you fill in the blanks now?"

"Yeah, as far as after, ya passed out I hadta carry ya back here. It was pouring down buckets during the entire trip back, but it stopped about a half an hour ago," he said, and noticed Aidan was looking at the sky, confused that it was dark. He continued. "Since I'm guessin' you're gonna ask, ya've been unconscious for the most part for about three hours. Listen, how's the head?"

Aidan realized this was more than just an assessment of her injuries. He was hoping she'd be able to fly. "Hurts, and I'm seeing either blurry or triple images at times," she said, blinking off a bout of dizziness. "There's no way I can fly us both of us out of here safely. And, I don't think I should try it even solo, unless..."

"No way, 'cause I ain't gonna let ya. Great, that means ya've probably got a concussion, courtesy of that bear..." said Tony, and she frowned. "Now what? Please don't tell me you're gonna be sick again."

Aidan noticed Tony now was sporting a bandage tinged with red on his leg. "Uh, no... but when did you get that? Wasn't from the bear was it?"

"Nah, and I don't think he'll come back. Between your punch and my shooting the gun, he shouldn't come back unless _he_ wants to be dinner," said Tony wryly. "Got the cut searching for my weapon during the fight, but didn't realize it until I got you back here. I think the bleedin's stopped, so I don't think it was too deep."

Aidan smiled but started coughing, this time the rattling really making an appearance. When it subsided, she winced in pain and Tony's frown deepened. "Ade, now I'm _really_ starting to hate that cough," he said grimly. "I doubt it's just allergies now. How are the ribs?"

"Sore, if anything they're rebruised," she said, worried herself.

Tony frowned, not quite believing her. "I know ya ain't gonna like this, but I've gotta check your ribs to see if they're cracked or broken," he said. Despite seeing the glare in her eyes at what that would entail he continued. "Hey, remember I'm a married man. I ain't doin' nothin' that'd make the missus bash me over the head with a frying pan if she found out."

Aidan smiled wryly. "Don't worry, _Rhonda _won't have to if you do," she said. Aidan and Rhonda had become good friends over the course of years, long before the suit, and didn't want something like this to mess it up.

Tony rolled his eyes and gently checked her ribs. Finding nothing wrong, he smiled and helped her sit up. "Good, nothin's broken. Now, guess you know the next part?"

"Yeah, try to stay awake in this freezing weather," she said, coughing again and started to shake slightly. "Did you manage to bring my street clothes? For all its powers, the suit isn't all that warm."

"Just whatever you put in your purse," he said. "I only added food and first-aid stuff. Your jeans were all that was in it besides the other stuff. Didn't have time to stuff your shirt in there. Good thing you decided to be stubborn and leave your jacket here earlier."

"I'll take it over just the jammies," said Aidan, grabbing her purse and putting on the clothes. Despite the extra clothing, she was still freezing and shivered.

Tony, seeing her reaction, put his arms around her and tried to warm her up again. He was having problems with the cold air himself, and knew that if they weren't found in the next few hours, things were going to start getting deadly for the two.

--------------------------------------------------

"Aidan?"

"Tony?"

"Villacana? Miss Hinkley?"

Ralph, Pam and the other searchers were walking through the forest, continuing to search for the young team, hoping it wasn't too late. Pam and Ralph were using flashlights along with everyone else. The group also had a heat sensor, but would use it only if they thought they heard someone call out for help. So far, the only sounds had been forest animals.

Within about an hour, someone found the back part of the aircraft. The group rummaged inside, but didn't find Aidan or Tony. "Nothing, just debris," said one of the agents sadly as they looked for any sign of the passengers.

"Wait, I found footprints, but there are also bear tracks as well," said another searcher, who was also a forest ranger. "We'd better get a move on if we're going to find them before that bear does."

The couple frowned but continued with the group as they started to follow the tracks. About halfway there, they stumbled across the remains of the pilot. Despite not seeing Aidan or Tony, none of the rescuers had an easy time with the discovery. It was hardest for Ralph and Pam. "Hun, I'm starting to really hope your cold feeling was just the thunderstorm brewing," said Pam softly.

"So am I Pam," said Ralph as he and the others paid brief respects to the pilot as someone covered up the remains with a yellow blanket tarp for recovery later. Every one knew at that moment that they were on the right track, but hoped that at the end there weren't two more bodies to discover...

------------------------------------

"...Ralph, why did Mom and Dad die?" said a soft, almost child-like voice.

Tony shook out of his light doze when he heard Aidan ask the strange question. "Ade, what did you just say?" he asked, confused.

"Why did Mom and Dad die Ralph and why does my head hurt?" she asked softly again, not realizing it was Tony, before starting to cough again.

The agent frowned, realizing Aidan was now slightly feverish and delirious. "Wake up Ade, you're not quite here," he said gently. "I'm not..."

"Damn it Ralph, I've want to know what happened and why I can't remember anything just before I hit my head," she said starting to argue with Tony. "Why won't you tell me?"

"_Aidan_, you're in the middle of the forest, and a bear hit ya in the head. I need ya to wake up," said Tony arguing with her. "All I know is your mom and dad died in a car crash. Ya've been in a plane crash, but they aren't the same..."

For some reason, Tony's words made Aidan snap back into full consciousness. She looked at Tony in confusion at his comments about the plane. "Yes, I know I've been in a plane crash, and a bear fight too. All I need is a 'coonskin cap and I could play Davy Crockett," she snapped, only to cough again. "Can you also quit hugging me?..."

Seeing her eyes droop and her start to relax a little too much, Tony pinched her. When Aidan opened her eyes and gave him a dirty look, Tony shrugged in apology and held her tighter, but not enough where she'd panic and strike. Even in her condition, with her in the suit, she could still seriously hurt him. "Aidan, listen ya need to stay awake. I think you're going into shock and that's why I'm still huggin' ya," he said calmly. "You were rambling about your parents and Mr. H, and not in the good way. It was about a wreck..."

"Tony, all I know is my parents died in the wreck," she said then paused. "What have I been saying about Ralph?"

"Well, you've been arguing with 'Mr. H' for ya not being able to remember something about your parents'

death after hitting your head," he said softly, not wanting to mince words. When she looked away, Tony knew she wished she didn't say anything, at least not this way. "Ade..."

"Why am I saying it? Don't know why here, but since you now know, I honestly don't remember a lot of what happened that night," said Aidan. "An officer came by and told Ralph what happened. Ralph told me and... I hit my head on the desk."

"Ouch, had to hurt," he said, grimacing.

"I don't know, the reason I hit my head was because I had already fainted and was falling. Woke up in the hospital a few hours later, but parts of that night are... vague, almost like a pastel that's been smeared. Other parts I don't remember at all," she said.

"Gee, Ade, I didn't..."

"You wouldn't, and neither Ralph nor Pam would've told you if you had asked. Because of what happened that night, they let me tell people stories about my past and such. You only know what I've told you," she said looking at the sky as the clouds started to clear and the stars started to peek through. "And now, I think they're feeling that history's repeating itself, 'cept I'm suffering unlike my parents. Maybe that's why Ralph hasn't told me everything about that night."

Tony, realizing she was starting to give up, decided to change the subject. "Listen Ade, why don't you ask him when you get home? I don't want to hear any of the sad stories about your parents," he said, trying to get her to think. "Why don't you tell me a happy one? I mean, for starters, I've always wondered where you lived before you started living with Mr. and Mrs. H. Wasn't in L.A. or I'd seen you more, I think."

Aidan smiled, realizing that she could ask him questions too at this rate. "I was born in New Mexico. Lived there until I was two before Dad moved the three of us to Wyoming..."

"Where in Wyoming? Never've been there..."

"I was going to tell you that, but Casper. Great town... has a restaurant that makes great huevos rancheros. Dad and I used to go there once a week for breakfast, just the two of us..." she said with a chuckle, coughing slightly afterward. "One of the last few times we also went to Fort Casper afterward to tour the fort. Mom'd take me out for lunch on the weekends for a girl's day out, when we'd go shopping for clothes or such..."

Seeing the skies clear finish clearing, she paused and smiled. "Lookit stars. Haven't seen them in a long time. You know, there's Orion... you can even see the animals he's hunting."

"Waitasec, looks like a buncha stars in a line squished a rectangle. Howd'ya know it's a person and he's huntin'?"

"Look at Bellatrix, it's the star that forms his right shoulder above the belt... or the three stars."

"Ya mean the bright star?"

"No, that's Betelgeuse on the left. Now, look up from Bellatrix, there's two stars that are lined up just above them... that's his arm getting ready to strike. Look, there's even Taurus and Lepus..."

Tony, a little confused at her astrology talk, decided to switch subjects back to her parents. "So, did you and your parents look at stars?"

"Yeah, mostly 'cause you could see more than you could catch in Wyoming on a clear night. Mom and Dad taught me a lot about astronomy... what about you and your parents?" she asked, realizing that she was doing too much talking.

"My old man never really talked to me and mom died not too long after I was born..."

"I'm sorry Tony," said Aidan softly, not realizing she had hit a nerve.

"No worries Aidan. Like you, I tend to keep some of my past to myself. I think your godfather's the only other one who knows all about my old man. In fact, and you'd better _not_ tell him this, but at times, I see Mr. H as sorta a dad to me, given my real dad was more of a deadbeat, to be nice."

"Sure, Tony," said Aidan quietly. "So, you still want to share stories, if nothing else, about when Ralph was actually a teacher at Whitney?"

"Yeah Ade, I do... all night for once too," he said gently.

Aidan, understanding a little bit also why he wanted hear about her past, began telling stories about Fort Casper, Independence Rock, and other places and things. When she started to fade out, Tony'd nudge her to keep her talking. Even he was having problems staying totally conscious in these temperatures, but with Aidan being knocked unconscious twice on top of recovering from other injuries, he knew things were starting to go downhill really fast for her.

He in turn would talk about his life, including stories about Ralph and Pam that even Aidan didn't know. The two were tired, exhausted and other things but at that moment, they knew they needed keep each other up or they wouldn't survive the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

It was about 1 a.m. and Ralph, Pam and the others were still searching through the forest, calling out Aidan's and Tony's names, hoping they'd get a response. Everyone was concerned, realizing that every minute that passed by was another one that could cost Aidan or Tony their life... if they weren't dead already.

Pam was getting tired and dropped back away from the group. As the searchers' voices faded she found a tree to lean against to take a break when she heard chatter... and it sounded very familiar, even with a slightly heavier country accent than normal. The person normally kept it repressed for the most part. "Ralph..." she said, waking up fully with the ensuing adrenaline rush.

Ralph, finding Pam had disappeared momentarily, walked over to Pam and frowned. "What is it honey? Do you need..." he said, only to have her clamp a hand over his mouth.

"Listen," she said softly. "I could swear I just heard someone in the distance that isn't in the group. And... it's female."

Though the man was doubtful, they listened for sounds in the darkness. They faintly heard a story about the time someone went to an abandoned silver mill and her dad laughed when she said this was where she'd find gold...

Ralph's eyes widened and Pam, also remembering the story, removed her hand from his mouth. "Ralph... do you think?..." she said, smiling hopefully.

"No way... AIDAN?" shouted Ralph and the group walked back over to the two quickly. Before any could ask what was going on, Ralph put a hand up. "Listen, we just heard her..."

"It's been too noisy and we would've found the wreck by now..."

"Look, it's a new moon, so it's possible we nearly missed it," said Ralph, frowning at the implied comment that he and Pam were dreaming. "We think she's alive and nearby... which means Agent Villacana must also be near. You going to use that heat sensor or not?"

Still not entirely sure that Ralph and Pam were just hoping to hear her voice, the man nodded. "Yes sir, but she could be in any direction," he said before turning to the group. "Everyone, I need you to gather together. We're going to try the heat sensor in this area and being in a group, we'll be able to distinguish their body heat from ours. Also, please stay absolutely quiet, as we've heard someone say that they heard Aidan's voice."

The group complied and the heat sensor was taken out. Two men started with the group first so they knew it worked, then started turning around in a slow circle. Within a half turn, they found a small red flicker and next to it, two warm orange glows.

The man smiled in triumph. "Everyone, I think we've found them, and they're alive. They appear to be about a quarter mile away. Now, we all need to head over there as soon as possible. They're probably at least suffering from exposure and need medical attention."

The group nodded and quickly headed in the direction of the wreck...

------------------------------------------

Tony was getting sleepy, not from listening to Aidan's stories, but from exposure. He knew though that if he fell asleep, he might not wake up again.

Though he could swear he heard Ralph calling out for Aidan, he thought it was a dream. Tony was also trying to keep Aidan telling any story, real or far-fetched now, as she had started to turn worse again... and this time, he wasn't sure that even the suit could help her, if it was even helping at all.

"Come on Ade keep talking about the time you went to Boston and read the Constitution," he said when she started to try to go out again.

"Didn't read it, walked on it, it's a ship as far as Boston... or is it Maine? I..." she mumbled, and Tony frowned, trying to get her to keep going but felt his eyes droop as well. He so wanted to close his eyes for a moment...

"AIDAN? ... TONY?" shouted a familiar male voice in the distance, pulling him away from that deceiving lull of sleep.

"Mr. H?" he said confused, only to hear a familiar and female voice say the same message... He knew it was real and not a hallucination. "MR. H, MRS. H, We're over here!" he shouted back, turning on the flashlight to signal their location. He then shook Aidan's shoulder roughly. "Aidan, they're here!"

"Come on, Tony, this isn't 'Poltergeist,' so turn the lightsaber off," she said tiredly, mixing her movies together and confused at his comment. She brushed off his hand, so wanting to go to sleep...

Suddenly, there were several bright lights pointed in their direction, making the two wince. Ralph, Pam and the others saw Tony and Aidan next to the fire. Tony had Aidan propped up with his arms around her. She had her head resting on his shoulder, and Tony was trying to keep her warm and awake. They frowned slightly when they saw it wasn't working very well now, but they could help the two now.

"That's them," said Ralph excitedly as the rescuers shouted in victory.

The leader calmed them down. "OK, let's help them out. I'm going to call the main base and tell them what we need beyond what we have here," said the man, turning on his radio. "I'll also get them to call LifeFlite and notify the hospital we found them - alive."

Ralph and Pam, however, rushed over to the two, carrying blankets. Pam placed her blanket around Tony's shoulders. "Are you guys OK?" she asked.

"Well, as well as we can be given the case," he said. "Ade's hurt worse outta both of us..."

As Tony relayed Aidan's and his injuries, Ralph removed the suit's cape covering Aidan and replaced it with the blanket, so as to try to give the illusion the suit top was a pair of longjohns or an ordinary shirt. He frowned when he saw the shape Aidan was in: barely conscious from exposure and he guessed the head injury, and had a ragged cough, possibly pneumonia. She was also confused, as he soon found out. "Hello Mr. Greenguy," she said, confused. "Why did you beam down to us?"

Ralph chuckled, hiding back his tears and put a hand to her face. "Aidan, it's Ralph, we found you."

"Ralph," she said still confused, and put her hand to his face. Sure enough, it wasn't a dream. "Hey, good to see the two of you, Ralph. Is Pam here too?"

The man realized Aidan was probably seeing double from the head injury, but continued as though nothing was wrong. "Yes, Ade, just taking care of Tony. We're going to get you and Tony to a hospital as fast as we can, so just relax..."

Aidan put her hand over his and smiled softly, closing her eyes just as the rest of the rescuers arrived. She didn't hear Ralph's explanation about her funny red shirt and wearing her belt above her jeans or know that Ralph held her hand as the paramedics in the search group started an IV with a warm solution. She didn't feel them put her in a stokes to carry her to safety, covered in blankets they were using to try to keep her from going further into shock or being carried away from the crash site to a landing area for the helicopter. All she knew was she was safe now that her family found her and history didn't repeat itself...


	9. Chapter 9

"Ade, come on Aidan, open your eyes sweetheart," said a soft, feminine voice from a distance. "Ralph, she just squeezed my hand. I think she's coming to."

"Yes, I think so too, see, her eyes are fluttering. Thank God, I'll go get a nurse, try to get her to open her eyes and say hi."

"OK, I'll do that hun. All right young lady, you need to open your eyes," said Pam scolded gently. "You don't want us to ground you for not listening do you?"

It took a few tries, but Aidan slowly opened her eyes and found she was in a white room with a couple of generic pictures you saw in a hospital and the TV on some sort of sci-fi show. The room also contained a couple of stuffed animals and a small white gift box.

Glancing down, she found she was in a hospital gown with an IV in her left arm and realized her head and left side of her face were bandaged where the bear had struck her. To her slight annoyance, Aidan also noticed she was receiving oxygen through a nasal cannula under her nose.

Frowning slightly in confusion, she looked to her right and saw Pam holding her hand, smiling and brushing Aidan's bangs away from her forehead. "Welcome back sweetheart," said Pam. "How are you feeling?"

Aidan tried to say something, but coughed loudly and winced in pain. She was surprised that while loud, it wasn't nearly as rough or rattley as when she was in the forest.

Pam offered Aidan a glass of water and after taking a few sips, her voice cleared. "Tired, but guess that's from 'sleeping' too much," she said quietly looking around again. "Like the stuffed puppy dog, can I see him?"

Pam chuckled at her slight humor at the situation, nodded and handed Aidan the stuffed dog. It was a St. Bernard with an FBI badge and wearing a smaller version as a charm. "'To Aidan, hope you get well soon. - signed Cyler Johnson,'" she read on the card. "Who's Cyler Johnson?"

"One of my former students Aidan, and helped with the search. He's now a member of the FBI like Tony, in fact he's Tony's boss," said Ralph walking back into the room smiling with the nurse in tow.

Aidan winced slightly as the nurse took her blood pressure. "Must be a lot of fun working with one of your fellow high school classmates, especially if he beats you to the top of the ranks," said Aidan wryly, then thought for a moment. "Have I even met him Ralph?"

He nodded, realizing she might have temporary memory loss. "Yes, but you haven't seen him in a few years. He said he'd stop by the house and visit when you got well."

"Oh," said Aidan as the nurse finished checking her vitals and went to get a doctor to do a neural check on Aidan. He came in shortly thereafter and, after asking the basic questions, except for being confused about the day and time, found out she didn't have any lasting injuries from her head injury.

After the doctor left, Ralph helped Aidan slowly sit up so she could hug the two. They sat there and hugged for a couple of minutes before Aidan felt dizzy and had to lie back down. "Did the green guys come by and visit again?" she said, still slightly confused about the rescue.

"No Aidan, that was the rescue team's flashlights when we found you and Tony," said Ralph, chuckling softly, but glad to see Aidan up and asking, for her, normal questions.

She dreaded the next question. "OK, I've got to know... how long have I been in here?"

"A little over 36 hours," said Pam, and Aidan winced. "We've been here by your side for the most part since you arrived."

"You were pretty much out of it when we found you though," said Ralph. "According to the doctor, you rebruised your ribs, have a concussion, several cuts on your head, which required a few stitches, exposure, moderate dehydration and walking pneumonia."

"Walking pneumonia, huh? I thought it was allergies."

"Maybe that's what you thought sweetheart, but according to the doctor, you had the beginnings of a cold. Add the knock out gas and everything else, you're lucky it's not worse," said Ralph, shuddering at the thought...

Noticing Ralph's shiver, Pam decided to continue. "Also, Tony told us about you fighting the bear, but we told the doctor that your injuries were from the crash."

"Huh, let's see, I'm in here because of the weather, beginnings of a cold, knock out gas and a partridge in a pear tree. Between that stuff, the crash and the bear fight, I bet if there was a kitchen sink in the forest, I'd been hit with it too," she said wryly, and the other two laughed softly. "And all this started because I helped Tony... What about Tony?"

"He's in the hospital too, but in his case has a moderate concussion from the crash, exposure, stitches for his head and cut on his leg, bruised shoulders, torn tendons and ligaments in his knee and ankle..." said Ralph.

"Wait a second, he never said he hurt his knee and ankle," she said interrupting and coughing. "How did he manage that? Bet he got it searching for the fire tinder after the storm."

"No, he said he hurt it in the crash," said Pam, only to see Aidan turn red and grow upset. "Calm down, Aidan. What is it?"

"That ... mule! He told me he only was sore and had a bump on his head," said Aidan growing angry. "That means he was hurt all that time and I know he carried me back to where you found us. Doesn't he know that's dumb? Those injuries could've ended his career, at least out in the field."

Ralph frowned, realizing for her bluster, she was just as concerned about Tony as he was about her in the forest. Earlier that evening while he was visiting the agent, Tony also told Ralph about her comments about wanting to know about her parents' deaths. Ralph promised to not tell Aidan he knew, but would let her make the first move if she wanted to talk.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Aidan, listen, he had no choice. He told us that after you blacked out from your encounter with the bear, the storm hit. Realizing you two would have no chance of surviving in that part of the forest, he picked you up in a fireman's carry, your weight on his _good_ side, and carried you to a safer location."

Aidan mulled over what Ralph said. "OK, but it still was dumb. Bet he had to have surgery on it," she said and they nodded. "Figures, and he says I can be stubborn as a mule."

"Maybe, and since I think I know your next question, only Pam and I can visit you right now. You'll have to settle the argument with Tony when you get home," said Ralph.

"All right, but I think if I did anyway, I'd get laryngitis on top of this," she said with a slight smile just when there was a knock on the door.

Ralph and Pam looked at each other, wondering who it could be, and found out when Bill decided to enter in without them answering. "So, how's our favorite bear fighter," said Bill with a chuckle and handed her a full Milkbone dog biscuit box. "Brought ya some dog biscuits Artie."

"Hmmm... thanks. I'm fine, but I won't be if I eat dog biscuits," she said, making a face. "You know I don't like them."

Bill chuckled softly. "I know, but these are made out of shortbread and topped with graham cracker crumbs, something I know ya like," he said and saw the stuffed dog Cyler had given Aidan. "If ya don't want them, ya can give them to your dog."

Pam shook her head. "All right, how did you manage to sneak in Bill? We've been told that only Ralph and I could visit because we're family."

"Yeah, I was wondering that," said Ralph, then frowned in thought. "You didn't badge the nurses again did you?"

"He's badged nurses?" asked Aidan. "Bill, that's silly. Only reason I think you could reasonably do it is if they make you walk around the hospital in your gown without a robe."

Bill chuckled. "Nah, I didn't. Told them I was your Uncle Bill..."

"Greatuncle Bill more than likely..." she said truthfully.

"All right, maybe, but the point is that I told them I was related to ya Artie, and they believed me."

"Even calling her Artie instead of Aidan?" said Ralph, wondering if Bill really did have to badge the nurse.

"Well... besides, I would've found a way around it anyway. Heard about the crash and was worried when these two told me about your fight with the bear. Good thing ya had the suit on."

"And not a moment too soon, or it'd been worse. Too bad I didn't see the bear's reaction to me hitting him," she said chuckling softly, and turned to Ralph. "So, how long am I in here for?"

"At least another week, possibly two. The doctor doesn't want you outside in this weather until your lungs are stronger," said Ralph. "From what he said you're healing fast, but it's just a precaution so you don't get full-blown pneumonia. It'll also be about another two weeks after that before you can go back to teaching. We've already decided that you're staying at our house for the time, just so you don't get pestered with another suit scenario too soon."

The young woman nodded softly, growing tired. "Well, hopefully I'll get to say hi to the class this time before Tony tries go have me join him on another scenario like this again," she said, yawning. "I'll fly him to Antartica if he tries."

"Yes, I think you would, and I wouldn't blame you," said Pam softly. "Listen, why don't you rest some more? Ralph and I'll tell Tony and the others you're awake."

"Counselor, why don't ya let me tell them instead? I think you three need to stick together and chat for a while. Besides, I can tell Villacana he's going to be at desk duties for a while."

"Just don't tell him that I called him a mule... let me tell him," she said, getting comfortable again. Ralph and Pam chuckled, holding her hand and chatting with her until she fell asleep. Bill left the room to tell Tony, Rhonda and Cyler the good news that Aidan was starting to get better.


	10. Chapter 10

It was nearing the end of week two into Aidan's convalescence at the Hinkley home, and she was talking on the phone, tugging on the collar of the suit under her clothes. She had been getting bored real fast the past couple of days. Just in the course of the first week back home, Aidan had made every single person who helped with the rescue a bracelet or key ring as a thanks. She also got visits and calls from her students, Rhonda, Tony, Bill and Cyler.

Out of all her visits, she was most surprised with Cyler's when he told her that he knew about the suit. After Ralph explained to her that Cyler had a hint about it and he explained it to the agent, Aidan understood why another person knew about the suit.

The only part of her stay at the house that was tough was asking Ralph about the night her parents died, which Ralph had been expecting. While he told her that he didn't want to go into details about what the wreck and what its results looked like for now - given what she had been through - he did talk to her more about the officer's visit and what happened after she fainted.

Aidan absorbed the information as best as she could, realizing that Ralph and Pam were afraid they'd lose her a few weeks prior, especially when Ralph told her about him getting the same feeling he did the night her parents died. She decided to hold off talking more about that night, as she wanted to focus on the future, which made both Pam, and especially Ralph, happy.

The young woman finished talking on the phone and hanging it up, looked up to see Ralph and Pam staring at her. "Well, what did the doctor say?" asked Ralph.

She smiled. "I'm all good to go back to work tomorrow," she said. "Good thing too, as the sub said my class was getting antsy to start casting their wax projects."

"That's terrific, sweetheart," said Pam.

"Yeah. Now, I just have to make sure no scenarios for a couple of more days so my students can get to wear their rings before Christmas," said Aidan as she picked up the idiot's delight chain necklace she was working on.

She had made a couple of links when she and the others heard the doorbell ring. The three looked at each other, confused at who could be there at that time of the day.

Ralph got up and answered it, finding it was Tony. "Tony, come in," he said warmly, but surprised at the man's appearance.

"Hey, guys. How's things for the cub at the Hinkley corral?" said Tony with a smile and handing Aidan a small box.

"Pretty good. Got the doctor's all clear to return to work tomorrow," she said, turning the package around and then blinking in surprise. "Wait a moment, did you just call me cub? What's this all about?"

"Oh, it's a get well gift from Rhonda, the kids and me," he said with a smile. "It'll explain the cub comment."

Confused, Aidan opened up the box and found a necklace inside. The pendant featured a bear made out of picture jasper, and the chain was made with liquid sliver and picture jasper beads. "Thanks Tony, but still why cub? I've been having some nightmares about that bear," she said. Ralph and Pam nodded, remembering having to wake her up from a really bad nightmare one afternoon. Ralph unfortunately also got hit hard in the shoulder when she struck the "bear," but she only bruised it as she wasn't wearing the suit.

"Well, the guy we bought this from said that if someone fights a bear, they're a true warrior. So, I thought it fit ya perfectly. Same goes with the nickname."

Aidan smiled softly and put on the necklace. "Thanks Tony, just don't call me it too much or people will get it confused with 'Artie.' Now, I'm sure you've got to go back to your lovely desk job while your leg heals and..." she frowned when she saw him smirk. "OK, I know that look, and I'm not going to..."

"Aidan, you won't believe the scenario I've got for us. It'll only take a couple of hours and..."

"No."

"Whatdaya mean no?"

Aidan crossed her arms and frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Uh un, no way, I ain't going to go on a scenario right now, not when I can go back to work tomorrow."

"Aidan trust me, it's a simple scenario. You just haveta go help me find a missing thoroughbred horse and..."

Seeing the glare in Aidan's eyes, Pam and Ralph frowned. "Aidan, cool off just slightly," said Ralph scolded. "If you don't, you're going to set something on fire with that look... literally."

Remembering that she was wearing the suit, Aidan calmed down and smiled softly. "Sorry Ralph. I'll cool down, but I'm not going to go on the scenario Tony." she said.

"Aidan, I can make you go with me," he said bluntly. "I'm an FBI agent, that trumps a teacher."

Having had enough, the young woman just stood up and stripped down to the suit.

Tony smiled. "See Aidan, that wasn't hard. Now, come on, we'll go in my car and..." he said, only to have Aidan pick him up in a fireman's carry and walk him out into the backyard.

Seeing their retreating forms, Pam and Ralph looked at each other, realizing what Aidan was up to. "Uh oh," they said and followed Aidan and Tony. They both got outside the door when Aidan took three steps and jumped, taking flight.

The couple chuckled softly as Aidan flew Tony in the sky across her shoulders, and Tony sounded like he was pleading for her to stop. "Looks like suit trumps FBI agent," quipped Pam.

"Yes, every time. So, how long do you think this'll last?" said Ralph, chuckling.

"Not long. Despite what Aidan's said, she still tires easily, but should be long enough," said Pam as Aidan crash landed, little sore, but no worse for the wear. "So, do we have a deal?" said Aidan with a smirk as she got up from the ground.

Getting up, Tony brushed off his coat and glared at Aidan. "That's not fair Aidan. You can't just fly me around until you get your way," he said.

"Yes I can if it's for a good reason. Tony, I need a couple of more days to rest and to _definitely_ go teach," she said simply. "That's all I ask, then you can go take me on another crazy scenario. Now, if you don't agree, I'll fly you around again."

"You wouldn't," he said.

"She would," said Ralph, and Pam nodded.

"C'mon Aidan, this is getting..." he said, only to have Aidan start to pick him up over her shoulders again. "All right cub, I get the point. Now, willya let me down before I change my mind?"

"Deal. Now, I have a different scenario for you guys," she said smiling. "Why don't we go inside and talk? From what I remember about our adventures in the forest, I told Tony some stories about a trip South Dakota a few years ago, but didn't quite finish. I'd like to start where I left off... well if you remember Tony?"

"Yeah, I think it was the time you went to Mount Rushmore and saw the model they used to work on the monument..."

"Right, did you know it wasn't completed? I can tell that it wasn't because you look at Lincoln's concept, you see he was supposed to have a hand on his lapel. When you look at the actual sculpture, you know in the mountain, you see it was started but never got finished..."

"C'mon Ade, that's just ya being an artist..."

"No, I saw it, dunderhead..."

"Now cub..."

"Will you stop that _Villacana_..."

"Hey, you can't call me that either..."

As Aidan and Tony argued, Ralph and Pam smiled, reliving some of their memories of Ralph's time in the suit and some of those scenarios. "You know, I think that nickname fits her afterall," said Ralph.

Pam smiled. "Yes, just hope someday when Aidan gets a boyfriend again, Tony doesn't call her cub and the guy belts him."

Aidan and Tony stopped when they heard Pam and Ralph's comments and turning to each other, started laughing. "You know, Tony let's call it a draw here. Now... why don't we tell Ralph and Pam about the time we had to fight a bear?"


End file.
